Golden girl

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GOLDEN girl Dika Toua won Team PNG’s first 2023 Pacific Games medals yesterday – three gold medals – in the women’s 49kg weightlifting competition, describing it as “an incredible feeling”.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be at this Pacific Games, especially being the oldest (athlete) competing against all these young girls,” Toua, 39, said.
“I am happy to win these gold medals. I did this for Team PNG and I hope everybody gets inspired by what I did.
“To be able to do this (win PNG’s first gold medal) and qualify for my sixth Olympic Games is another milestone, and I’m grateful to everyone who supported me one way or another in reaching this height.”
Toua won gold in the snatch, clean and jerk, and the total, which saw her qualify for her sixth Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Her younger sister Thelma who competed in the same category, won a silver and two bronze medals.
Youngest sister Konio snatched two silver and a bronze in the 45kg division.
In the snatch event, Toua lifted 70kg on the first attempt, 74 on the second, and 76kg on the third.
She managed to lift 90kg in the clean and jerk attempt, but failed in the 96kg and 100kg attempts.
Her overall points saw the five-time Olympian taking out the honours as PNG’s national anthem echoed around the national stadium in Honiara for the first time since the games started.
“I was going to make this my last Pacific Games. But now I have the Olympic Games in 2024. So I’m not going to make it easy, especially for the young ones. They have to fight for the spot,” Toua said of her future plans.
“Qualifying for the Olympic is another milestone for me but I have to work hard.
“Missing those two last attempts I knew it was there. But it is weightlifting. It’s the game.
“So anything can happen during lifting.”
Toua thanked her coach Paul Coffa and husband Willie Tamasi who is the weightlifting team manager for continuously pushing her to the limit.
She also commended her sisters for winning PNG’s first silver and bronze medals.
The Toua sisters yesterday won nine medals between the three of them.
“I am so proud of my sisters, especially Thelma who competed alongside me and finished with one silver and two bronze,” Toua said.

5 comments

  • She is not eligible to be competing in the Pacific Games. She is an Olympian. Elite athletes of her stature should not be allowed to compete at lower level games like the Pacific Games.

    • She is an Olympian but not a medalist yet in Olympics thus still need lower competitions to qualify. You can read in the article that she needed to win to qualify for Olympics. Which implies that she is not a guaranteed Olympian unless she qualifies herself by constantly winning lower comps. No one is an automatic Olympian even after you make your debut, it is your consistency in other comps that guarantees your participation in Olympics. Dika is no exception therfore she needs to constantly participate over the years to qualify her spot as an olympian

  • Agree with John, olympians should be disqualified form winning medals. They can compete for their qualification to the OG.

  • Is there any rules that disqualifies DT from competing at lower games? If not, why bother. I’m proud of her. She is doing great for her country.

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